Boorowa, NSW - St Patrick's Catholic

Year Built: 1877

Denomination: Roman Catholic

Saint: Patrick

Address: Queen Street, Boorowa, New South Wales, 2586

Architect: Unknown

Architectural Style: Gothic

Traditional Owners: Wiradjuri people

Last Updated: 04/03/2024

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History and Architecture:

‘A church was built 1854 as an outpost of Yass Mission, but a resident priest came in 1864. That old church became unstable and too small and was later replaced. A stain-glassed window of the Irish Saints Patrick, Bridget and Columba is a fine element, but there is within it a surprising inset panel of the ‘Liberator’ Daniel O’Connell, which draws interested visitors from Ireland! The Sisters of Mercy opened their school in 1882.’

The church was established in 1865 and construction of the current church was completed in 1877. The first Mass was conducted in fact iin 1837 by Father Brennan from Yass. Its a Gothic church of blue granite and sandstone both locally quarried. Its 35m in length by 19m wide with ceiling and rafters made from stained timber. The roof is tiled.

It was while Fr John Dunne was parish priest that the building of the new church began in 1874. An uncompleted bell tower with a bell of 3 tons was cast in 1891 by Byrnes Fountain Head Bell Foundry, Dublin.

Clergy:

This list may not contain every serving cleric, past or present, for this church.
Further submissions welcomed.

Years Name Annotation D.o.B D.o.D
1863 - 1865 Father J. Cooke
1865 - Father O'Neill
1865 - 1867 Father J. J. Hanley
1867 - 1868 Father J. Raffan
1868 - 1869 Father J. Finnagan
1868 - 1869 Father P. Riorden
1868 - 1869 Father Duigan
1869 - 1871 Father W. O'Brien
1871 - 1872 Father Keakin
1871 - 1872 Father J. O'Connor
1872 - 1874 Father J. Dunne
1874 - 1877 Father McGrath
1874 - 1877 Father O'Keefe
1877 - 1878 Father T. Long
1878 - 1884 Father Dyer
1878 - 1884 Father Fallon
1884 - 1885 Father A. Walsh
1885 - 1887 Father Berringham
1887 - 1888 Father O'Shaughessey
1888 - 1889 Father Fogarty 1912
1889 - 1891 Father Hannahan
1891 - 1892 Father Birmingham
1892 - 1894 Father Magee
1892 - 1894 Father Hayes
1894 - 1895 Father McAlroy
1894 - 1895 Father Henry
1895 - 1896 Father O'Dwyer
1896 - 1897 Father Kennedy
1897 - 1899 Father Peter O'Leary 1947
1899 - 1901 Father Cleary
1901 - 1905 Father E. Laide 1931
1905 - 1906 Father O'Reilly
1906 - 1907 Father Sharkey
1907 - 1910 Father J. Fogarty
1907 - 1910 Father F. Borman 1947
1910 - 1912 Father Edward Sheehan - more details 1960
1912 - 1913 Father Hennessy
1912 - 1913 Father T. O'Connor
1913 - 1924 Father P. Reidy
1913 - 1914 Father C. C. Jergen
1914 - 1921 Father J. Bailey
1921 - 1924 Father Lehane 1960
1924 - 1925 Father P. Donelly
1925 - 1926 Father O'Connor
1926 - 1929 Father Bugler 1957
1929 - 1938 Father J. McDowell
1938 - 1941 Father Edwards
1938 - 1941 Father Landers 2000
1941 - 1942 Father M. Crowe
1942 - 1945 Father John W. Morrison 1904 1988
1945 - 1946 Father McDonagh
1946 - 1950 Father Coffee
1946 - 1950 Father Patrick Aubery Cusack 1977
1946 - 1950 Father M. O'Brien
1950 - 1951 Father Greene
1950 - 1951 Father Riorden
1951 - 1953 Father P. Maloney 1961
1951 - 1953 Father Masey
1953 - 1954 Father Dynlae
1954 - 1955 Father L Reynolds
1955 - 1956 Father John Bracken 1982
1956 - 1959 Father J. O'Connor
1959 - 1960 Father M. O'Shea
1960 - 1963 Father Drinkwater
1963 - 1967 Father C. Gleeson
1967 - 1969 Father J. Daley
1969 - 1970 Father P. Murphy
1970 - 1973 Father D. Mahon
1973 - 1975 Father J. J. Cummins
1975 - 1976 Father A. Havas
1976 - 1979 Father D. D. Nickle
1979 - 1992 Father P. Buckley
1979 - 1992 Father P. Gannon
1979 - 1992 Father P. Maloney 1961
1992 - 1996 Father P. Bateman
1996 - 1997 Father P. Stack
1997 - 2004 Father G. Beath
2017 - Father Tom Thornton

Organ:

No information currently available. Submissions welcomed.

Contributions:

1. John Huth supplied internal photo 2012
2. 2022 Karen Smith photo of Father Sheenan Grave. (Click on name to view)
3. 2024 Simon Saunders ref from ‘Our Story - Catholic Archdiocese of Canberra and Goulburn‘

Source:

1. Church plaque with Clergy names.
2. Deceased Clergy in Australia, 1788-present.

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